Ali Akbar Velayati, Senior Adviser on international affairs to Iran’s Supreme Leader, said Saturday that “foreign forces” must leave the region, arguing that their presence is the main cause of insecurity, Anadolu reports. “Recent developments reflect the resilience of the armed forces, the steadfastness of Iranians, and the courage of the Resistance Axis,” Velayati said on US social media platform X. “The U.S. and Zionist regime’s defeat reinforced the belief that foreign forces — the main cause of insecurity — must leave the region,” he added. Regional tensions escalated on Feb. 28, when Israel and the US launched coordinated attacks on Iran targeting military, nuclear and energy infrastructure. Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks against Israeli and US targets across the region.